My almost 2 year old golden retriever is reactive but I can’t tell if it’s excitement or anxiety

[bark1903]

I’m disabled and trying to train my golden for service work.
My golden is almost 2, I got her while we were still in lockdown. I didn’t get to socialize her much due to my mom not giving me the ability to go out in public with my dog and restrictions on going out in public. I live with my mom due to personal reasons. My mom uses spankings as punishment for bad behavior and I’ve gotten into arguments with her over it so it’s gotten less. I do not agree with aversive training. Due to this she has some anxiety but not too bad. When she sees dogs outside of the house or people she will bark at them and jump at the window. When I tell her it’s ok and talk to her calmly she will calm down. When meeting other dogs in the past she became submissive. When she barks at things outside of the house her tails wags a lot and her ears perk up with kind of stiff muscles. What do you all think? Please be kind. I have tried to get my mom to stop but she doesn’t care to listen to me. I offered resources on why aversive training is bad and she didn’t want anything to do with it.

 

[mitsudang]

@bark1903 a reactive dog can't and shouldn't be a service dog. next.

 

[deanate]

@mitsudang I don't feel like a lay person should be training a service dog ? What qualifications do they have to adequately train a dog for service. Let alone a reactive dog

 

[bushido8000]

@deanate In the US, legally a service dog does not need to be trained by a professional. The laws are in place to allow all people access to needed help in the form of a service dog - including those who lack the financial means to afford a professionally trained service dog, by allowing them to train the dog themselves. But the laws also require that the handler have the dog under complete control at all times while availing themselves of the public access the ADA allows for service dogs, and if they do not, they can be asked to leave. This is essentially how the ADA strikes a balance between allowing for affordable training options while ensuring that the dog be properly trained.

On a practical level, service dogs really need to be bomb proof when out in public, making a reactive dog an unsuitable candidate for service dog work. With that said, depending on the level and nature of the reactivity, it may be something that can be addressed through behavioral modification/training to the point where the dog could continue with service dog training/work. IMHO, that would be a rare situation, but it is possible.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@bark1903 Is it a high, stiff wag? Or does she have a wiggly butt when she's wagging and her tail is more at a medium height or helicoptering?

 

[bark1903]

@imagebeastmarkbeast More of a medium height or helicoptering. It will switch up from time to time.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@bark1903 That sounds more like excitement. But without seeing the dog's body language it's really impossible to say.